Update: Ubisoft has released a statement denying that the PC version was held back to be on parity with the console versions:
“It has come to our attention that a comment from one of our team members has been perceived by some members of the community to imply the PC version of The Division was ‘held back’ and this is simply not true. From the beginning, the PC version of The Division was developed from the ground up and we’re confident players will enjoy the game and the features this version has to offer. And the feedback from PC players who participated in the recent closed beta supports this.”
We already know that the PC version of Tom Clancy’s The Division will have expanded and superior graphics options on PC, but now Ubisoft has reassured desktop players that it has kept that version of the game “in check” with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 editions.
Speaking in an interview with Team Epiphany (via NeoGAF and GameSpot), an Ubisoft developer said that while the PC is a “separate platform” from the consoles so that it can have more customization options, they’ve made sure it doesn’t stray too far from the PS4 and Xbox One versions.
“One good thing about The Division is we’ve always considered the PC as a separate platform,” the developer said. “We do have to keep it in check with the consoles; it would be kind of unfair to push it so far away from them. But it’s been good having a dedicated PC build for this game. ”
The Division is scheduled for launch on March 8 after several well-publicized delays. The game had a closed beta last week on all three platforms, and while most players seemed content with what they experienced, PC players complained of fundamental networking errors that let some players cheat. Some say that these issues aren’t something that can be easily fixed before the game’s release next month. There’s also been a leaked image from Xbox Brazil’s Facebook page that implies a possible The Division open beta happening from the 16th-21st. This hasn’t been officially announced by Ubisoft yet.
In the meantime, make sure to check out one of our guides to the game’s skill systems before it launches next month.
